Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH Ph.D an epidemiologist: “…It’s not an understatement to say that wastewater surveillance has transformed public health. (See my previous post on its pros and cons.) It picked up a SARS-CoV-2 wave before any other metric. We are now using it for flu, RSV, and even opioids. The potential is endless. Over the past 4 years, the CDC has built a network of wastewater sites—now up to 1,200 sites representing 40% of the U.S. population. (There are over 16,000 wastewater sites in the U.S.; CDC isn’t at all of them.) At each site, a lab processes the samples. Who processes the samples at each site differs:

• 75% of sites: public health laboratories process data
• The other 25% of sites: Biobot—a wastewater startup company—has processed the samples. CDC paid Biobot to do this through a contract.

All of this data is fed back to the CDC. And is displayed on their website…”